Michael Parkhurst

A few days before the 2015 MLS Cup kicks off in Columbus, Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco walked onto a stage in Toronto Wednesday morning and accepted the league's most valuable player award.

The diminutive Italian represents one window into how MLS will improve: the importation of stars, young and older, from Europe.

On the field at MAPFRE Stadium on Sunday, however, the two teams that will play for the MLS championship are examples of both the continued growth of the league and the need for more change in the salary cap structure.

Columbus is comprised mostly of MLS-bred and developed stars: Ethan Finlay, Justin...

Related "Michael Parkhurst" Articles

A few days before the 2015 MLS Cup kicks off in Columbus, Toronto FC forward Sebastian Giovinco walked onto a stage in Toronto Wednesday morning and accepted the league's most valuable player award.
The diminutive Italian represents one window into how...

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Sometimes, it doesn't hurt to have a little bit of luck.
After a game featuring eight goals in 60 minutes and a penalty kick shootout spanning 10 rounds, Orlando City slipped through to the Round of 16 with a 4-4 (8-7) win over the...

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The latest itiration of the burgeoning Orlando City-Columbus Crew rivalry will be played out in the U.S. Open Cup.
Orlando City will host Columbus in the Round of 16 of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, June 30.
"Obviously we...

Orlando City has scored late goals twice this season to save a result and make a tie feel more like a win.
Pedro Ribeiro's 89th-minute equalizing goal to seal a 2-2 tie against the Columbus Crew Saturday night wasn't enough to make the result feel like...

Orlando City coach Adrian Heath started to notice during training early this season that an unlikely player was the best finisher on his team.
On Saturday night with the team unable to find the back of the net and only minutes away from what would...

Orlando City tied 2-2 with Columbus at the Citrus Bowl.
The Crew played one man down after an early red card, but Orlando City failed to convert numerous scoring opportunities.
The Lions successfully defended a free kick in...

The doubt began to creep into Landon Donovan's conversations several months ago.
He is the leading scorer and playmaker in U.S. Soccer history, the best player the country has produced and at 32 healthy enough and experienced enough to be a World Cup...

Landon Donovan took a big step toward a record-tying fourth World Cup appearance when he was included Monday in the 30-man provisional squad U.S. coach Juergen Klinsmann called into this week’s training camp at Stanford.
The team will begin gathering...

Landon Donovan took a big step toward a record-tying fourth World Cup appearance and Galaxy teammate Omar Gonzalez moved closer to his first when both were included Monday in the 30-man provisional squad U.S. Coach Juergen Klinsmann called into this...

Michael Parkhurst was still playing in the German Bundesliga in December when the pairings for this summer's World Cup were announced. And he remembers few of his teammates at FC Augsburg felt the need to hide their feelings about a draw that placed...

The World Cup kicks off in Brazil in five months. And with the group-play pairings already set, the U.S. knows who it will play, where it will play and when it will play.
Still to be determined, however, is who will be in uniform when all that happens,...

With some of his first-choice team sidelined by injury and other issues, U.S. national team Coach Juergen Klinsmann called up only 20 players Sunday for the final two World Cup qualifiers.
In the past Klinsmann has typically summoned 23 players to...